Paris/Avignon/Toulouse

barn · Post by **barn** » 12 Feb 2007, 4:52am

Hi just wondering if anyone has any cycling routes from Paris-Aviginon-Toulouse how long this would take etc.Or something similar i have the Michelin maps and staying in hostels hotels etc.

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 12 Feb 2007, 11:46am

Impossible to answer without more information re your ability, preferred routes etc. To be safe calculate your daily mileage at around 50miles/day. For maximum enjoyment I would rely on the small "D" and even smaller roads.

barn · Post by **barn** » 12 Feb 2007, 9:47pm

I would be leaving from Corbeil Essonnes(40ks sth Paris)then heading toward Auxerre and slowly heading toward Avignon hopefully doing 100ks per day.I was thinking of getting the TGV down but having 2nd thoughts, i have my route worked out to get from Avignon to Toulouse.But i am open to ideas from Paris,i have 4 weeks up my sleave.I cycle 3-4 times per week as well as other sport about 40-50ks at a time,i live in Australia and it is very hot where i live so the weather doesnt worry me.But it is my 1st tour so i am trying to get as much info as possible.

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » 13 Feb 2007, 9:17am

Go up the Saône river to Lyon and down the Rhone river to Avignon.
This route is very well cycled.

Find a map of the rivers; mainly the Rivers Saone et Loire from south
of Paris and get yourself some Michelin maps online. The department just north of Lyon is known as 'Saone et Loire'.

You have got to study those maps to get the most from your journey.

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 13 Feb 2007, 12:40pm

There is no need in my opinion to rigidly plan a route and stick to this. I would advise that from Paris plot your own route using the small minor roads but avoiding roads which connect directly between towns even if these are signed as "d" roads. This makes for relaxed cycling and all you have to do is ensure that at the end of the day you are near a town of some sorts.
The route to Avignon is a bit confined by the terrain so the Rhone valley south of Lyon is the best way even if this is too busy to make it really enjoyable.
In July Avignon will be mobbed by foreign tourists and I got out of there as fast as I could the last time I toured there. Be very careful on the approach to Avignon as once over the bridge you need to cross a highly dangerous busy road with around four or five lanes of traffic. A nightmare.

barn · Post by **barn** » 13 Feb 2007, 11:53pm

Hey cheers for that guys

Yeah i was looking at following the river route down how long do you think that would take?doing 70-80ks per day?.As i live in outback Australia it is hard to get Michelin maps i bought Michelin Languadec and Provence maps 1/275 000 and they took 6 weeks to get here!!!!

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » 14 Feb 2007, 7:26am

The river Rhone has a canal route which is good

If you are from Oz Barn, notice that the Massif Central,
a high plateau of mountains is the reason for going up the Saone to
Lyon and down the Rhone from it! Other than that getting good
Michelin maps (online purchase) is the only other suggestion.

Somebody here might tell you about the Rhone canal route,
or you can search down through old messages here for some info.

regards Hugo.

Enjoy your cycling!

barn · Post by **barn** » 14 Feb 2007, 7:45am

Cheers Hugo

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 14 Feb 2007, 2:30pm

Buy all your maps in France as they are cheaper and readily available.

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » 15 Feb 2007, 9:07am

barn

The Saone valley may be quite a boring ride.
I don't quite remember; but that may be why we
don't hear much about it! The roads may be
very busy with not much in the way of side roads;
that would be another reason.

Somebody says buy your maps in France....
Much of my fun is imagining what the
route is going to be like before I go,
planning the route.

Buy online; there is a Michelin maps website
order service somewhere.

Pinky · Post by **Pinky** » 15 Feb 2007, 11:22am

I agree that it is a good idea to get the maps before you go. It is all part of the holiday , winter passes so much more pleasantly when I am planning where I might go.
The IGN 1:100000 series ( Cartes de Promenade) are the best for cycling -- I post them back home as i finish with each map!
Get them from Stanfords at about £5 each or from
http://www.ign.fr

Certainly, looking at my planned route down the Saone and Rhone, busy roads might be a problem but I have gone to great lengths to avoid them where possible -- that's why the 1:100000 maps are so good -- and they are contoured as well -- so an old fogey like me can detour round the hills!

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 17 Feb 2007, 12:34pm

barn

I am not sure when you intend doing this trip - I see somebody has mentioned July - but that did not seem to come from you. You may not be aware that there is a very strong wind which often blows down the Rhône valley in winter - the Mistral. You would be going in the right direction and at times you might think you had power assistance but it can be relatively cold. (I.e. not cold as in polar but freezing as in Midi.) This is said to be why all the older buildings in that part of the world only have South facing windows.

barn · Post by **barn** » 17 Feb 2007, 10:05pm

thirdcrank

Cheers for the reply,mate i am going in the 1st week of June i think i will get the TGV from Paris down to Avignon.I have heard about the infamous mistral,what is it like going accross to Toulouse?

thirdcrank · Post by **thirdcrank** » 18 Feb 2007, 3:43pm

I think you can forget about the Mistral in June.

Pinky · Post by **Pinky** » 18 Feb 2007, 9:00pm

i should hope so!

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Paris/Avignon/Toulouse

Paris/Avignon/Toulouse

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